


In the Rain

by suicidaltomlinson



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Boys Kissing, Doctor!Liam, Gayness, M/M, a tad though, doctor!zayn, im sorry if i have forgotten anything, lawyer!louis, liam and zayn are children at the beginning, midwife!harry, physiotherapist!niall, please let me know, sad kids, side larry - Freeform, thanks for reading
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:49:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22368226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suicidaltomlinson/pseuds/suicidaltomlinson
Summary: I got this prompt from ziamsession on Tumblr I think:running into each other's arms in the rain (idk why but i just thought of this like imagine 7 year old ziam saying goodbye in the rain cause zayn is moving, then they meet years later when they’re men and they so like each other and Liam falls for him but he discovers late that Zayn’s got a boyfriend and he pines for him so bad trying to be the good friend he is when Zayn’s boyfriend proposes and Zayn says yes but he actually wasn’t sure felt trapped or idk and after Liam acts different and Zayn is hurt but then he somehow knows he’s in love with him but Liam was leaving and the engagement party his boyfriend’s doing is the same night but he just can’t and he goes to Liam’s house only to catch him before he gets to the taxi running into his arms just like he did years ago)I hope I gave it justice.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Luke Hemmings/Ashton Irwin, Zayn Malik/Ashton Irwin, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne, a glimpse - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	In the Rain

**November 10th, 2000. Age 7.**

Liam might not understand a lot of things right now, he still has a lot to learn about the life he’s living, but what he does understand right now is that his tummy is hurting like it has over the past couple of weeks, and his eyes have been hurting too, like he could just start crying at any moment, anything could set him off. He also understands that these feelings started when his best friend and his mum came over for lunch. It was a Sunday in October, they always had lunch together on a Sunday, but this time, when Liam rushed down the stairs to answer the door, Zayn’s face was turned down towards the floor when he swung it open, letting the cold Manchester weather enter the hallway. His mum was behind him in an instant, and she ushered them into the warmth of their home, offering to take their coats and the lovely hot chocolate she makes just for the both of them. Zayn didn’t say a word, and Liam automatically thinks he did something wrong because that's how his seven year old brain worked. His own mum had taken Zayn’s mum into the kitchen and left the two boys to their own devices in the hallway, knowing that they’d find something to do like they always did to kill time before their mums called them for lunch. 

Liam bit his lip and he shuffled closer to Zayn, “do you wanna come upstairs Zee?” Zayn finally looks up at him, and Liam is taken aback by the look on Zayn’s face. “Zayn, what’s the matter, you look so sad.”

Zayn sighs and sniffles, wiping under his eyes as he does, “my dad got a new job.”

Liam smiles, “that’s great Zee.”

But Zayn is shaking his head as soon as those words leave Liam’s mouth, “no, it’s in Australia.”

-x-

Liam wipes away his tears as he keeps staring out into the rain. The weather matches his mood, grey clouds cover the sky, and the rain hasn’t stopped for the past three weeks, it’s like the universe knows Zayn is leaving, and it’s crying for him and his departure. Zayn is leaving for the airport in an hour, and right now, he’s ready to go and say goodbye; dressed in a pair of jeans, wellies, a massive rain coat, and scarf and hat. He sighs and leans his head against the window, he wonders, as he looks out into the front garden, if he’ll ever be happy again? 

After a while, his mum comes in, “it’s time to go sweetheart,” she stands behind him and gives him a hug. “It won’t be forever Liam, he’ll come back one day.”

He nods his head and pulls himself away from the window and follows his mum down the stairs, and sees his dad, and his two older sisters waiting, ready in their own weather acceptable clothing as they get ready to make the short drive to the Malik residence. When he gets in the car, his stomach starts doing flips, and it feels like he’s going to throw up, but he doesn’t tell his mum, afraid that she’ll make him stay home. The drive is quick, 10 minutes, and before he knows it, he’s at the front door he knows so well, but he knows it won’t be the same. He knows that this house will no longer be Zayn's home, it will belong to someone else.

20 minutes pass, and before Liam knows it, he’s standing in the rain, not caring that he probably will end up getting a cold. He’s losing his best friend, his only friend, they’ve been like brothers since they were born as their mums grew up together. Their parents are hugging each other goodbye, telling them to have a safe flight, and that they’ll hopefully see them soon, he can see the tears in his mum's eyes, Tricia's eyes too, he thinks it's probably losing a part of her heart; that's something Liam also understands, because that's how he feels now, he's losing Zayn. Ruth and Nicole are hugging Doniya and Waliyah goodbye too, but Zayn and Liam are just standing there. Liam is trying not to cry, his throat is closing up with the strain. He blinks and smiles small at Zayn, who smiles small back, “you don’t know how much I’ll miss you Zayn.”

“I do, because I’ll miss you just as much,” and then Zayn throws himself into Liam’s arms, hugging him tightly, like he doesn’t want to let go, and Liam does the same, tucking his face into Zayn’s neck. They pull a part, “I have something for you,” Zayn tells him, and he pulls out a Batman Lego figure attached to a chain, and hands it to Liam, “so you’ll remember me.” Zayn tells him with a sniffle. Liam will never forget Zayn.

Liam takes it and smiles, “thank you, I have something for you too.” He digs into his pocket and pulls out a silly plastic Batman ring, and slips it on Zayn’s finger. “So you’ll remember me.”

Zayn laughs sweetly, and it pierces Liam’s heart, “love you Leeyum,” and he hugs him again, tighter than before. 

Liam tightens his grip until Zayn’s dad speaks up, and tells him it’s time to go. They’re soaked to the bone, but they don’t care, saying goodbye is, well, the hardest thing he's done, and they both know it. They pull apart, “I love you too Zayn.” With his heart aching, Liam watches his best friend walk away towards the car, but at the last minute, Zayn turns around and barrels towards him, nearly knocking Liam over with the force. Liam hugs his back, tightly, and in the end, Zayn’s mum has to pull him away. Liam stands there, in the rain, he can feel droplets run down his face as he watches the taxi disappear. Liam knows he’ll never be happy again. 

**November 10th, 2016. Age 24.**

Liam is never drinking again. Why did he go out last night? Oh, that’s right, because this time of year (well, most days really) leaves Liam wanting to take a long walk off a cliff, and there was something else too, but his memory is a little hazy. He’s 24 now, and yes, he should be totally over that day, but he isn’t, he was seven years of age, and he fell into a complete rut, his mum and dad even sent him to therapy because of Zayn, but he’s taking that secret to his grave, no one needs to know that. Him and Zayn did stay in contact for a little while, but it only lasted so long, they were seven afterall, but Liam always knew, deep down, before Zayn even left the country, it was going to go like that. 

He made new friends, Louis, Harry, and Niall in particular. They met when they were 12, all bright eyed high schoolers, scared shitless of the new journey ahead of them. Louis had moved to Manchester when his mum remarried, Harry moved to Manchester when his step dad got a new job, and Niall moved to Manchester from Ireland because his mum and dad decided to leave Mullingar for a change of scenery. They all clicked and the rest is history. But he never forgot about Zayn. In so many words, it was like Zayn was their missing piece.

He rolls over in his bed and groans at the pounding in his frontal lobe, what even happened last night? He remembers finishing work, he also remembers falling face first into bed before his friends ambushed him, dragging him into the shower because apparently he smelt like disinfectant, and gauze, but he’s a doctor, so, it’s normal for him to smell like that. He takes a deep breath and reaches for the necklace around his neck, but when his fingers don’t come into contact with the Lego figure, but his own chest, he sits up, ignoring the spinning of the room and rushes out into the living room, searching for it, tearing up the sofa, and the wedding magazines that are scattered over the coffee table, Louis should keep them in his and Harry's room. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!” He yaps while rushing into the kitchen, looking under anything and in anything that could hide a necklace. He stops and takes a deep breath before running to the hall and checking all the pockets of all the coats hanging up. This is it, this is how he’s going to die, a panic attack brought on by losing the most valuable thing he owns. “Calm down Liam, it’s fine, it’s around here somewhere, all you have to do is retrace your steps until you find it, and if it takes you your whole life, then so be it.” He speaks out loud to himself, taking deep calming breaths. He rushes back to his bedroom and throws his clothes everywhere, looking under each pile, which reminds him that he needs to do his washing. He rips into his bed, throwing off the duvet and pillows until the bed's naked, void of any kind sheets, there's no necklace. He looks over both bedside tables, and over his tallboy, nope. He walks back into the kitchen and looks around before he heads to the bathroom, he searches through all of the shit they have on the countertop, which includes way too many skin care products for four men to have between them. When he goes back into the kitchen, Louis is standing there in Harry’s University jumper, holding his 'Groom-to-Be’ mug full of Yorkshire tea that no one else, even Harry, is allowed to drink. Liam also realises he’s in nothing but his underwear. He sighs and goes back to his bedroom to put on a pair of jogging bottoms and a t-shirt before going back to the kitchen to down a glass of water and to make his own tea. 

“Wanna tell me why you were talking to yourself?” Louis questions, bringing his mug up to his lips to take a sip of his tea that’s still steaming. 

“No reason,” he replies. But Louis isn’t an idiot, quite the opposite actually, as he just made- oh, that was the other reason why they were out drinking, Louis made partner at his firm.

“You wanna stop lying to me Payno?” Louis raises one perfect eyebrow and gives Liam this look. Liam knows this look, it means that Liam has what’s happening to him written across his forehead. Louis is too smart for his own good. 

They were 13 when they all questioned Liam about the necklace he wore. He had told them it was a gift from a very close friend, and that was it. Liam fixes him up with a hard glare. “Where’s my necklace?!”

Louis’ eyebrows shoot up into his hairline and he places his mug down on the counter, “you lost your necklace?” Liam was under the assumption that Louis had hid it, but the last time he did, Liam almost passed out from worry, so he learned his lesson, so Liam doesn't really know why he assumed Louis would have done it the second time. 

Oh god, this is it. After Zayn left, he only ever removed the necklace to take a bath or shower, or if he went swimming; he even made his dad cover it in a special resin to stop the features of the figurine from coming off. And he hasn’t cried since Zayn left because he cried so much _when_ Zayn left, he cried himself out, he was seven, and he hasn't shed one tear since. But this is it, he can feel it burning at the back of his eyes, his stomach is turning, his throat is tight, and he begins to hyperventilate. He’s going to have a panic attack and cry, and throw up, and he’s too hungover for this to be happening to him right now. He sniffles, but no tears fall, and he goes to sit down, but someone behind him catches him because apparently he was standing in the middle of the kitchen, and was about to fall on his arse. It’s Harry who catches him. 

“What’s going on?” He asks as he places Liam on a chair. Liam just breathes deeply.

“Liam lost his Batman. Did he have it last night?” Louis asks his fiance.

Harry shakes his head and Liam feels the dread crawling up his throat, “no, I took it off him before he got into the shower, I’ll go and get it,” and he leaves the kitchen for a minute before he’s coming back and looping the chain around Liam’s neck. As soon as it’s secure, Liam can breathe again, and he clasps the figure in his fist, he should of known one of them had taken it off him before he got into the shower, he was so tired though, so it isn’t his fault. “Shh, it’s okay, you can calm down, it’s safe, and it always will be, we promise.” Harry soothes, hugging him. 

“Thanks Harry.” Liam smiles before he looks at the clock sitting on the wall near the fridge, his eyes widen, “shit, is that the time?! Why did you take me out last night? My shift starts in an hour, fuck!!!” And then he runs out of the kitchen, and into the bathroom where he quickly has a wash and makes himself presentable before falling into his bedroom and pulling off his t-shirt before pulling on a clean white t-shirt, and he kicks off his jogging bottoms and his boxers and pulls on clean underwear before he puts on his dark navy scrubs. He douses himself in deodorant, puts his socks on, and his ugly mandatory hospital shoes.

He makes sure he has his wallet, phone and keys before he’s out the door, calling a goodbye over his shoulder just as Niall stumbles out of his bedroom, moaning about the noise. They all went to the same uni, but did very different degrees, Harry is a midwife (himself and Harry work at the same hospital) Louis’ a criminal lawyer and Niall is a physiotherapist, specialising in sports injuries. 

-x- 

He makes it to the hospital with 15 minutes to spare, so it gives him time to head to the staff room to make himself tea, considering he was too busy trying to breathe earlier to make himself a cup and close his eyes to come back down to earth after the morning he’s had. 

When his tea has been consumed, and with his mind cleared, and he has doped himself up on paracetamol, he feels a lot more human, and he can begin his shift. When he turned 10, he watched an episode of _Casualty_ and was captivated by what they did to help people, even though it was a dramatisation. As soon as he could, he read everything he could about everything medical, and his knowledge grew and grew. He studied hard, and applied himself, so when he got into uni, and then med school, it was the best thing he had ever accomplished. 

-x- 

Six hours later, his shift had ended, and he should be exhausted, but he isn't. He makes his way down to the maternity ward to see Harry, and the girls for a little while before telling Harry that he's going to grab dinner from Tesco's. He leaves the hospital and heads towards the car park and drives to the shop, not knowing what to actually buy for dinner, since it'll be just himself, Louis, and Niall, as Harry doesn’t finish until 7:00PM, and it's currently 3:00PM. 

He parks up, grabs his wallet and heads inside, just before it starts to rain. How fitting, he thinks as he grabs a basket. He sighs and heads right, looking over the shelves, Christmas is around the corner, so the shelves are littered with different kinds of festive amenities. He wonders what Zayn is doing, he wonders what Zayn did with his life; he knows he was extremely talented when it came to art, so he wonders if Zayn pursued art, or took a completely different course in life. He wonders how his family is, and what his sisters are up to, he's tried hard to find all of them on Facebook, he found Doniya, and Waliyha, but he never had the guts to hit 'send friend request’ and try as he might, he never found Zayn. 

He turns the corner, not looking where he's going, and walks straight into someone. The person, whom is male, goes forwards since Liam walks into his back, and he stumbles back, but he finds his footing. “I'm so sorry,” he mumbled to the stranger whom is still facing away from him, looking at something on the shelf. 

The guy's wearing a leather jacket and black jeans, and Doc Martens. “No worries mate,” and the guy has a hint of an Australian accent, but still English too. 

Liam's heart races and he swallows thickly. Seriously, what are the chances that Zayn could actually be in front of him right now? Of course he wouldn't have a single clue if Zayn was back in England but how many Australian slash English men could actually be wandering the streets of London? Okay, a lot because Australians like to come to work in London, so it's a long shot, but he bites his lip, and throws caution to the wind, “Zayn?” 

The guy's back stiffens, and he slowly turns around. Liam's breath leaves his lungs as the most beautiful human being he had ever seen comes into view. This man, Liam gulps, this is his Zayn. This Zayn is of course older, but still holds so many features of 7 year old Zayn. He has the same gorgeous hazel eyes, framed by the same stunning lashes. His hair is still as black as night, and his cheekbones are carved by god himself it seems. His lips are red, and his skin is golden brown. Well fucking done puberty god's, give yourself a round of applause! Liam thinks as his eyes flicker of Zayn's face a little more than necessary.

“Liam?” This might be the best day of Liam's life. “Oh my god, LIAM!!!” And Zayn leaves his trolley where it is and jumps into Liam's arms. Liam drops his basket that’s currently empty and wraps his arms around Zayn's underarms as Zayn's own arms wrap around Liam’s neck and his legs wrap around Liam’s hips. Hugging him tightly, just as tight as the day he left. 

Liam closes his eyes, he absolutely forbids the tears to fall as he buries his face into Zayn's neck. Zayn pulls away first, and Liam almost whines at the loss, but he faces Zayn once more, and his breath catches in his throat. “Fuck, you've grown up!” He says, voice strained. The shock is still moving rapidly through his veins, and the adrenaline is making his heart beat faster than normal, which is making him dizzy, passing out in the bread aisle isn’t something he wants to do right now. 

Zayn laughs, light and playful, eyes squinting, and tongue pushed against the back of his teeth as he drops back down to the floor. Liam never thought he'd see that smile again, or hear his laugh again for that matter, “so did you, you really grew into yourself, and you're wearing scrubs…” And yeah, Liam has grown up, but they all have, the last time Zayn saw him, Liam was a chubby, curly haired tyke, and now, he’s taller (obviously), he filled out a lot during puberty, he cut his hair off when he turned 18, and spent most of the time in the gym when he wasn’t studying his balls off. He’s been told countless times how attractive he is, and when he looks in the mirror, he sees it, but it’s all about emotion, and he hasn’t had a proper relationship since he started dating, because of his pathetic love for the man standing in front of him.

Liam smiles and looks down at himself, “yep, I'm kind of a doctor.” 

“Fuck off, you're not?” 

Liam frowns, “I am.” 

Zayn laughs, “this is crazy, me too!” 

Liam's mouth falls open, well, he wasn't expecting that to come out of Zayn's pretty mouth, Liam has to pull his eyes away before he’s caught. “Wow! That's great Zee,” oops, Liam bites his lip, the nickname falling from his lips very easily. 

Zayn doesn't seem to mind though, all he does is smile small and blushes slightly. Is it possible to fall in love in five minutes? Hahaha, Liam shakes his head inwardly, he's already in love with Zayn. “That's why I'm here, why I've come back home, I got an amazing job offer after I finished med school, I start on Monday.” 

“Where?” Liam asks, hoping he doesn't sound too hopeful. 

Zayn smiles, “London General,” Liam feels his eyes widen and a smile dances across his lips, Zayn spots it and he raises a playful eyebrow and wears a coy smirk, “so you're the Head of A&E Registrar Doctor I'm supposed to be meeting Monday I assume?” 

Liam shrugs, not actually having a clue, “I was so busy today I didn't even manage to take a look at the file sitting on my desk, but yeah, I guess so, it'll just be me showing you around and stuff and then you'll shadow me on my rounds, before you're put to work yourself.” 

Zayn smiles, beautiful and bright, “amazing, well, I have to get going, but…” Zayn pulls a pen from his pocket and writes his number down on Liam's arm, “call me tomorrow, we'll have drinks if you're not working,” Liam shakes his head no, “great, bring your friends, we'll have a proper catch up!” And then he hugs Liam again, “you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment Leeyum!” 

Liam blushes, and he hopes Zayn doesn't notice when he pulls away. “I have an inkling,” Liam smiles. He feels the fucking same; he guesses dreams do come true.

-x- 

“It’s fate,” Louis says over dinner, which is lasagna, with salad and garlic bread, because after Zayn had left, Liam’s brain had short circuited and couldn’t remember how to function, so his whole body was on autopilot. And apparently, when his whole body is on autopilot, he buys lasagna, lettuce, and garlic bread.

Liam rolls his eyes as he takes a sip of his water, “only Harry believes in fate Lou.” 

“And so he should, how do you think we met? We went to the same destination for our family holiday before we met in school, so, yes, we both believe in fate,” Louis’ features go soft, “and so should you Liam, Zayn was your best friend, and he still can be, you can get to know him again, and slowly start a friendship, and then a relationship, you’re already in love with him, you have been since you were seven, you just didn’t know you were. Trust me, yeah? You two belong together.”

Liam just sighs and shovels a heaving pile of lasagna into his mouth, mulling over Louis’ words while Louis and Niall throw lettuce at each other and giggle like school boys. 

-x-

It’s been two months since Zayn has been back in his life, and it’s been amazing; it’s like getting to know a new person, but Liam already knows so much. Zayn tells him about the day he left, and how he screamed once he was at the airport. He tells him about being the new kid in a new school, a new kid who looked different and spoke different, but Zayn learned to love Australia as he got older, and enjoyed it, he experienced so many amazing things, but when he turned 18, he decided to come back home, but he had to finish school, uni, and med school first. And once he did, he got offered the chance of a lifetime, and made the move, and he doesn’t regret it. 

Zayn, of course, got on amazingly well with Louis, Harry, and Niall when they met the following night for drinks at their local pub. He had something in common with all three of them, and congratulated Louis and Harry on their engagement and bought them a round of shots for their troubles. Zayn was breathtaking, and Liam found himself just staring at him, his guts twisting as Zayn threw his head back in laughter at something Niall said, exposing the column of his throat. Zayn was just so beautiful, he was wearing black ripped skinny jeans, and red cashmere jumper, his leather jacket thrown on the back of his chair, his Nie trainers still wet from him walking to the pub. Liam thinks he’s the luckiest man in the world because he gets to know Zayn, but Zayn actually being his was at the top of his list of things to do, and he had been falling for Zayn even harder than he thought he would, it was instant, like falling asleep, or ripping off a plaster. Zayn had spent Christmas with them, considering his mum and dad were still in Queensland, and all they did was get drunk, and ate the food Harry made, it was the perfect holiday, but they had to work too, but it was okay, because they were together, and A&E was relatively quiet on Christmas Day. They all head into the city for New Years, as they all had the night off, and Liam and Zayn kiss each others nose when it hits midnight. Liam fell a little more in love with Zayn that night, especially as Zayn stood in front on him and leaned into him as they watched the fireworks burst into the jet black sky, and he could hear Zayn’s laughter over the loud popping and music. He looked even more beautiful under the flashes of light that burst across the sky. 

But nothing goes right in Liam’s life, especially when it comes to his love life. The universe hates him, and is punishing him for something, but he doesn’t know what, but it must’ve been something horrible because Liam doesn’t deserve this kind of pain, he’s already lost Zayn once, and now it seems he’s going to lose him all over again, but not in the same way as before, when they were seven, oh no, Zayn is being taken away by something much worse… It’s another man.

They’re all out when it happens, having fun, laughing, all's right with the world until there’s suddenly a dark shadow looming over them. They’re in their local again, drinks are flowing, conversation is stimulating, but that’s until this guy breaks it, and fills the air with a thick palpable tension that has the air around them snapping like a live wire. Liam watches Zayn look up towards the man and his face, his beautiful face, breaks out into an even more stunning smile as he jumps up and wraps his whole body around the man, much like he did with Liam in Tesco’s that time, and the man wraps his own big arms around Zayn’s slim waist. Liam can feel bile rising up his throat, and it tastes foul, Liam thinks he’s going to need another drink if he has to watch the magical reunion in front him for much longer. Zayn drops himself back to the floor and Liam nearly throws up all of the food he’s had today when Zayn kisses him, his fingers graze up his neck, and end in his hair. The guys hands are on Zayn’s hips and he leans into the kiss, making Zayn’s back arch. 

Liam takes his eyes off them, but he wishes he didn’t because there are three pairs of eyes on him, they’re full of worry, and pity; great, this is all Liam needs, he knew Zayn coming back was too good to be true, here he was thinking he would have Zayn all to himself, but nope, Zayn has a gorgeous rugged boyfriend. Anger grows in his belly, why didn’t Zayn tell him?

“Guys,” Zayn’s voice snaps him out of his inner anger, and Liam looks up, and swallows the vomit down, “this is Ashton, my boyfriend, Ash, this is Louis, Harry, and Niall,” he says, pointing to the boys, and then, his attention is on Liam, and Liam squirms in his seat, not liking where this is going, “and this is Liam.”

Ashton shakes the lads hands, smile on his face as he does, he then stretches out a hand for Liam to shake, “so you’re the famous Liam,” and because he’s been ambushed by Zayn’s perfect Australian boyfriend, he takes the hand and shakes it, “I’ve heard so much about you.” He tells Liam in his perfect rough yet smooth voice. 

Liam just smiles, “likewise,” he lies and stands up, “I’m just popping out for a smoke, be right back.” And he hauls himself towards the back door where there’s a smoking area. He pulls out a smoke, and lights it quick, letting the smoke filled his lungs, yes, it is ironic, a doctor who smokes, but hey, it's a mad world, the love of his life has a boyfriend, see, a mad world. He’s alone for what feels like forever, but he knows it’s been less than a minute before someone joins him. 

He ignores the person, but jumps when there’s a hand on his shoulder. He turns around, and comes face to face with Zayn. He looks ashamed. “Hi.” Liam ignores him. “Leeyum, don’t ignore me.”

“You could of given me some warning Zayn, I mean fuck, why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend?” Liam feels like he’s at his wits end right now, if his hair was long enough, he’d be tearing it out.

Zayn looks down at his shoes and bites his lip, Liam just shakes his head and takes another drag, willing himself to calm down. “I didn’t want to, I was just so happy to see you, and we were having so much fun at work, and having lunch, just hanging out like nothing had changed, it was nice knowing you didn’t know about Ash, I’m sorry.”

Liam sighed, “that makes no sense.”

Zayn huffs, “so you’re telling me you would have told me if you had a boyfriend straight away?” Liam had told Zayn he was gay a few weeks in of them reconnecting, Zayn had smiled, hugged him, and said 'snap,’ they both laughed and continued to drink wine and watch _The Dark Knight Rises._ “When your best friend, that you hadn’t seen in sixteen years walks into you, in Tesco’s of all places?”

Okay, Zayn has a point, “I see your logic there, but Jesus Zee, it’s been two and a half months.”

“I know, I’m sorry, but I would really love it if you got to know him Li, he’s great, he’s in a band, plays the drums.” Yep, Liam has no hope, fuck his life. 

“How long have you two been together?” Liam asks, stubbing out his fag in the flooded ashtray, obviously the heavens had opened, but it isn’t very cold, which is weird, it’s early January, it's also winter. Global warming must be in full swing.

Zayn bites his lip, “six years, we met when we were in year twelve. Been together ever since; his band really took off, got signed and everything, so he’s been on tour for the past few months.”

Oh god, Liam thinks he’s going to throw up, is that why Zayn spent Christmas with him? And New Years? Liam is second best to a famous Australian drummer. He feels the vomit crawling up his throat, and all of a sudden, he’s turning to his left and throwing up in a sand bucket. He’s in love with his best friend, his best friend whom is in a committed relationship; if he died tomorrow, he would welcome death with open arms like he was a close friend.

-x-

**January 12th, 2017. Age 24, and 25.**

It’s Liam’s day off, and instead of catching up on sleep, like he should be doing, he’s out shopping for Zayn’s birthday present. He isn’t going to lie, it took him a week to get used to the idea of Zayn having a boyfriend, and now, he always knows when Zayn is texting him, or Ashton has sent him a funny Snap. Every smile, laugh, and every sparkle of Zayn’s eyes twists the knife in his heart every time, breaking it more and more each day that passes. But he has to deal with it, because like he said, he’s already lost Zayn once, and he doesn’t want to lose him again, no matter how much it hurts to watch. 

Zayn’s birthday party is tonight, and he’s dreading it, because Ashton is throwing it, and he knows it’s going to be great; he’s invited everyone Zayn has known in his life, even a few people Zayn went to school with in Australia, as they’re down for work, and they also live in London. He’s with the guys, as they’re all trying to find something for Zayn, and so far, all of them have found something that he knows Zayn will love. But he can’t find anything for the life of him, and he should know what to get Zayn is the thing, they’re best friends, and yes, even though they haven’t been in each other’s lives for over a decade, they’re best friends, they’re soulmates, so for him to be absolutely stumped isn’t a good feeling; he’s the one who knows him best, even Niall had luck.

He’s walking towards the car park where they all parked when he spots a novelty merchandise store, and on a whim, he heads inside, without telling the guys where he’s going. He enters and is taken aback by the amount of movie memorabilia they have. He looks around, and it’s like God is finally smiling down on him, because there, on the wall, is a sleek black frame with five portraits of past Batman actors, all signed, and it comes with a certificate of authentication. He could cry, it’s perfect. He walks towards the clerk behind the counter and tells the guy he’ll take it. The man tells him the cost, and he doesn’t even flinch. He hands over his credit card and completes the transaction. The bored looking teenager bags it for him and hands it to him and he turns around, but comes face to face with three pairs of surprised eyes. 

“Really?” Niall deadpans, “last year, you got me socks.”

“You love socks, Ni.” Liam quips with a smile on his face.

Niall narrows his eyes at him before turning around and walking out of the store, Liam just laughs, he doesn’t care, Zayn is worth every penny. 

-x-

Six hours later, the present has been wrapped, and he’s showered and dressed. He’s wearing black skinny jeans, like always, and a white t-shirt with a grey vest pulled over it, and his black blazer with a pair of black boots. His hair is just styled with wax, he smells good, as he used the cologne Zayn had bought him for Christmas, it’s called Bleu De Chanel, and it smells incredible. He’s watching TV, _Would I Lie to You?_ , while the others get organised and dressed. Niall comes out first, wearing simple black dress pants, and a white button down, looking like a fucking waiter, but he’ll have everyone falling at their feet once he steps foot into Zayn’s flat, and he’s even wearing dress shoes, Liam doesn’t comment, he just goes back to watching TV. Harry is next, he’s wearing black skinny jeans, brown chelsea boots, and one of Liam’s favourite shirts that he owns, it’s a navy blue with white hearts printed on to the material, Liam thinks it’s adorable, and he loves it when Harry wears it. It takes another half an hour for Louis to come out. He’s wearing dark maroon jeans, and much like Niall, a white button down with maroon and white striped suspenders with his favourite pair of dress shoes. Now that they’re all ready, Liam stands up, stretches as he goes, and grabs his phone, and calls for an Uber and turns off the TV.

Ten minutes later, he makes sure he has Zayn’s present, his keys, phone, and wallet, he also makes sure the others have their presents too before they’re out the door. Twenty minutes later, they’re pulling up to a white building. He can see lights from the sixth floor as he looks out of the window, he opens the door and gets out, thanking the driver. The car leaves and once they’re together, they all head inside and go towards the lift, it doesn’t take very long for them to locate the party, as it’s kinda in the hallway too. 

They enter and it’s loud, people are already tipsy, and the lights are making his eyes hurt; he’s never been a party person, always reaching for the books before he reached for a red solo cup. He smiles and says hello to the people from work before he goes to find Zayn, while the others go to the table for presents before going towards the kitchen, which is to the left. He finds Zayn a few seconds later, standing in front of Ashton, and his insides go to mush when he sees him, he’s so beautiful, he’s wearing a grey suit of all things, it fits him perfectly. He swallows and walks over to him. “Happy birthday babes,” he shouts, he has to over the music. 

Zayn turns his head and when he sees it’s Liam, his face breaks out into a massive smile and he jumps and hugs him tightly. Liam wraps one arm around him, so he can support his weight. “Hi, I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Can you come with me quickly?” Liam asks.

Zayn nods his head and takes Liam’s hand, Liam ignores how Zayn’s hand fits perfectly into his. He drags Zayn towards his bedroom, and opens the door. He sits Zayn on the bed and sits beside him. “What’s up?”

Liam shakes his head, “nothing, I just didn’t want to wait to give this to you,” and he hands Zayn his gift. “I wanted it to be just us when you opened it.” And Zayn smiles at him as he undoes the grey ribbon, Liam reaches his hand up and touches his Batman figure through his t-shirt as Zayn lifts the matte black lid. And the sound Zayn makes, and the look on his face is worth every pound he spent. 

“Liam, what?!” Zayn asks in breathless shock, running his finger down the sleek black frame. 

“It’s Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Christian Bale; it comes with a certificate of authentication, so, it’s the real deal, I thought it would look nice in your office.” Liam tells him shyly.

“Liam,” Zayn stops, and wipes away a tear; shit, Liam didn’t need to make him cry. 

“Shit, you can take it back if you want Zee.”

Zayn is shaking his head adamantly, “no, s’just, it’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” and he runs his fingers around the frame to prove his point. He gently places it on his bed and then falls into Liam’s chest, “thank you so much Liam!”

Liam just smiles and hugs him tightly, “you deserve it.”

Zayn pulls away and just smiles at him, that amazing smile that makes Liam’s breath hitch every single time. “I’ll put it in my wardrobe for now, and I’ll hang it tomorrow, above my desk.”

-x-

After Zayn and Liam had exited the bedroom, Zayn was whisked away, and Liam hasn’t seen him since, but he understands. It isn’t until later, when he’s slightly tipsy, he doesn’t like to get drunk remember, is when he sees Zayn, only this time, the music is turned down, and everyone is waiting for a speech, Zayn seems sober, but Liam can’t be sure. Ashton is standing next to him, his own arm wrapped around Zayn’s waist. Liam is expecting Zayn to make the speech, but Ashton does instead. 

“Hi everyone, thank you so much for coming to celebrate my amazing boyfriend's birthday. I’ve been with Zayn for five, nearly six years now, and I can’t believe I got so lucky, seriously, I thank the heavens everyday that this man, this amazing, caring, kind, hard working, gorgeous, man came into my life, and I can’t imagine my life without him, so…” And then Ashton reaches into his pocket, pulls out a box and gets down on one knee. “Zayn Malik, light of my life, the love of my life, will you do the most amazing honour of marrying me?”

Liam’s stomach churns so fast, he didn’t know it was possible, his eyes begin to hurt, and his breathing becomes very erratic, and he thinks he’s having a panic attack. He watches Zayn giggle, with his eyes sparkling, as he holds out his left hand, while saying yes. Liam can feel himself moving backwards, towards the door. The Batman signature collection he gave Zayn hours earlier seems like something he found in a skip compared to an engagement ring. 

He’s down the stairs and out into the rain before he knows it, and he just starts to run, as fast as he can, away from the loud music, and away from the place where Zayn just got engaged. 

His lungs are burning by the time he comes to a stop; it’s a park. The rain falls heavily as he sits down on a bench, his head falling into his hands and he cries; he lets it all out, loud and proud, it’s the first time he’s cried in ages, since the age of seven. He has never felt this heart broken before, and that’s saying something because when Zayn left, it took him months to come to terms with his departure. He sits up and digs his hand under his t-shirt and pulls the Batman figurine out. He looks at it, it looks brand new, Liam had looked after it, because it was his only connection to Zayn, it held Zayn’s heart. He leaned it against his forehead before unclasping the chain, and once more, he's raising his arm, about to throw it away, but someone stops him by grabbing his wrist. 

“Shh, it’s okay Li, you’re going to be okay,” Harry tells him, bringing him into a tight hug, both of them getting soaked. Why is it always raining when his heart breaks?

-x-

**April 2nd, 2017. Age 24, and 24.**

Months go by, well, three to be exact, and Liam is no closer to recovering from Zayn’s engagement. Everytime he sees Zayn, he looks down at his finger, and yep, the fucking piece of metal never goes away, it’s there, mocking Liam all the way into an early grave. 

It’s not that he’s keeping his distance, except he is. Everything Zayn does is like a scorching brand on Liam’s skin. Zayn starts to notice. He goes to the toilet when he hears it, the hurt in Zayn’s voice stabs at him like millions of knives, twisting with every syllable, “he is Ni, I don’t know what to do, it feels like I’m losing him, help me!!” Liam just backs out of the toilet and goes to his bosses, bosses office, and asks if there are any jobs going anywhere that isn’t London. 

And there is, in Dublin. He isn’t going far, just far enough that he doesn’t have to witness the love of his life marry someone else. And in a cruel twist of fate, or maybe not, because he doesn’t think Ashton likes him very much, their engagement party falls on the same night Liam is set to leave for Dublin. It’s the week before he leaves, and while Louis, Harry, and Niall are helping Zayn with decorations, he’s packing his belongings. 

He had told the four of them a week after he accepted the job. They were all shocked, but he thinks Louis, Harry, and Niall all understood a little better than Zayn, who was looking at him like he had grown four extra heads. “When do you leave?” Zayn asks, voice tight with something, Liam doesn’t want to get his hopes up. 

“The tenth of of April.”

And that’s why their engagement party is on the same day. Ashton knows Zayn will be too busy to even think about Liam, and Liam will be too busy packing and organising stuff to think of Zayn, apparently, it’s petty logic. 

-x-

**April 10th, 2017. Age 24, and 25.**

Liam looks around his bare room and sighed out loud, he’s heading for the airport in two hours. Zayn’s engagement party started an hour ago, and the lads had badgered him to come for an hour at most, just to say goodbye, but Liam was having none of it, he wanted Zayn to enjoy his night, not have his best friend ruin it by crying. He had already said goodbye at the party his colleagues had thrown him, and Zayn was there, and even though it pained him, he had hugged Zayn tight, just as tight for the first, second, third, of all the times. It broke his heart then, and it would now. 

The lads come into his room where he’s sitting on his bare bed, he looks up and smiles at them, they’re all dressed up and looking mighty fine. Liam smiles at them, this is it, he told them to go and enjoy the party and not bother staying to wave him off, it would be too sad, he’s known the lads since before they even became teenagers, partners in crime, best friends until the end, but it’s time to move on. He still has two hours, but that’s okay.

“All set?” Niall asks. 

Liam nods his head, “yeah, all done.”

They come and sit next to him, “do you have to leave Liam? I know it’s hard, but you’ll meet someone else.” Harry tries.

It doesn’t work, “if Louis had your heart, but he didn’t know it, could you move on?” Harry shakes his head and turns to look at Louis before kissing him softly, “exactly, you can’t give your heart to someone else, when someone else already owns it. I’ll be fine,” Liam shrugs, “I lost him once, and I managed, kinda.” They all laughed, “but he’s so far out of my reach, I have to let him go, he loves someone else, and I have to deal with it, if he had stayed, we would be together, but, such as life,” Liam wipes away a single tear away and hands Harry a box, “will you give this to him?” Liam asks Harry. Harry nods his head, and he knows they all know what’s inside, “thank you, right,” he stands up, “come give me a hug, and get going, I’ll be back at Christmas, okay! I’m not going forever, just until my head is clear and my heart is fixed!” They all hug him, crying softly, “I love you all, always remember that!” 

They all agree before kissing him goodbye, and leave. He hears the front door slam shut, and he goes to the window and sees them standing on the pavement, looking up. He smiles a watery smile and waves. They wave back before climbing into the Uber. They’re gone in an instant and he’s left alone, he takes a deep breath, bringing his hand up to his chest, his fingers coming into contact with his own skin, and not the heart he’s been keeping safe for 16 years. He falls on to his bed, his head falling into his hands once again as he breaks down into heart wrenching sobs.

Time goes by quickly when you cry, but he pulls himself together, and makes sure he has everything ready for his journey. He called for his Uber an hour ago, so it should be arriving soon. His flight isn’t until 12:00AM, and it’s only 7:30PM. He takes his suitcases to the living room and heads back to his bedroom, looking around before turning off the lights and closing the door, it feels like closing a chapter, and he’s ready to start a new one. 

He throws on his coat and boots when he gets the text that his Uber is here. He sighs and grabs his suitcase and opens the door, not looking back as he closes the front door. He goes to the lift and gets in, pressing the button for the ground floor. Once he gets to the lobby, he can see it’s raining. It’s always raining when something happens in his life. 

He steps out into the rain and is immediately drenched but he shuffles towards the car, and puts his case into the already open boot, as he closes it, he can hear someone shouting. He shakes his head and goes to open the passenger side door but the shouting gets louder, more frantic, and he realises it’s his name being called. He turns around and sees Zayn running towards him at full speed. “Zayn?”

“Liam,” and Zayn jumps into his arms, wrapping himself around Liam tightly. 

Liam hugs back just as tight and smiles into Zayn’s neck, “what are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t,” Zayn says, out of breath, “I love you.”

Liam’s heart skips a beat at the three words that come out of Zayn’s mouth. “Excuse me?”

Zayn reaches into his pocket and pulls out his necklace, placing it back around Liam’s neck, “this belongs to you, _I_ belong to you. I love you.” He repeats.

And then Zayn kisses him. Liam’s body ignites as Zayn’s lips move against his, Liam kisses back quickly, his hands cupping Zayn’s face. It’s wet because of the rain, but Liam has never had a kiss that has made him feel like this, like he could fight a war, or fly. Zayn pulls away and leans his forehead against his, smiling small. “You’re engaged Zayn, you don’t belong to me, you never have, and it breaks my heart, because I love you, so much more than you can comprehend, I have to let you go, because you don’t belong to me.”

Zayn shakes his head, “I just ran out of my engagement party Liam, I left the ring behind with Ashton, it’s always been you.”

“It’s always been you.” Liam repeats breathlessly.

-x-

Zayn feels like he’s living in a different world right now; in a world where he doesn’t actually belong. He has people coming up to him, congratulating him on something he doesn’t want. Zayn smiles from where he is beside Ashton, talking to his friends from Sydney when there’s a loud call of his name. He turns his head and sees Niall, Louis, and Harry walking through the door, but his heart drops when Liam doesn’t follow, and he remembers Liam is leaving. Ashton had planned this party on the same night as Liam’s departure on purpose, and he didn’t know Ashton could be so petty if he were being honest. 

He excuses himself from Ashton and heads towards the lads. He smiles at them, but they look a mess, and it’s expected, their best friend is leaving, and they’re not allowed to be there. He leaves in two hours, and he wishes he could sneak away to say goodbye, even though he doesn’t want to be in this situation himself. Harry pulls him away to his bedroom and sits him down on the bed, he follows and hands him a box, “it’s from Liam.” Zayn gulps and slowly takes off the lid of the delicate black and yellow box. He gasps when he sees what’s sitting in there. Zayn gave it to him when he left for Australia, the Batman figurine on a chain. Zayn still has the ring Liam gave him, it’s on its own chain that’s always around his neck, Ashton had said it was stupid, but Zayn had refused to touch him until he said sorry, it took him a week. The Batman is in amazing condition, Harry laughs from beside him, oops, he thought out loud. “Yeah, he made his dad put this resin on it so the paint wouldn’t come off, he never took it off unless he bathed or went swimming, actually, the same day you dumped into each other, he thought he had lost it, he nearly had a panic attack, and nearly cried, he hasn’t cried in ages, well, up until the night you got engaged.”

Zayn takes the figure out of the box and sees something written on the bottom in Liam’s doctors handwriting. “I’ll miss you.” Simple and to the point. Very effective.

Zayn’s eyes fill with tears as his hand closes around the figurine. He stands up quickly, “I have to see him, he leaves in two hours right?” Harry nods his head, “okay.” And then he pockets the Batman and leaves the room to find Ashton. He finds him in the kitchen, he bites his lip and then swallows the nerves. “Ash?” Ashton looks to him and smiles, “come with me for a sec?”

Ashton just nods his head and follows him out onto the balcony. “What’s up babes?”

Zayn looks out over London and fiddles with his ring, he takes a deep breath, and looks at him, “I can’t do this.”

Ashton’s face falls so quick, Zayn has never seen anything like it before in his life, and he’s a doctor, he breaks bad news to people nearly everyday. “What?”

“I can’t do this anymore,” Zayn repeats.

“Why; what did I do wrong?” Ashton wonders. 

“It’s not what you’ve done, Ash. I love you, but I'm not in love with you anymore.” He says simply. 

Ashton sighs and leans his arms on the metal bar of the balcony, “it’s Liam, isn’t it?” Zayn nods his head, “I should have known, the way you spoke about him, your eyes would sparkle like something out of this world, the way you looked at him, smiled at him.” Ashton lets out a long suffering sigh as he looks out over London, the sun now completely set, and the sky is inky black with minimal stars, “it’s always been him, hasn’t it?”

Zayn smiles sadly, “always. I’m so sorry; you’ll meet someone else, he may be closer to home than you think,” and he looks over his shoulder where he spots Luke staring at them, and Zayn gives him a smile and wink, before turning back to Ashton. “This belongs to you,” and he hands Ashton the gorgeous silver ring back. “Thank you for some of the best years of my life Ash, but it ends here, I belong to someone who’s about to make the biggest mistake of his life if I don’t get there, in like, an hour.” He presses a kiss to Ashton’s cheek, “enjoy the rest of the night yeah?” And then he’s running back inside and running out of his flat, making his way down the stairs and running out into the rain. 

He starts running in the direction of Liam’s flat, hoping he isn’t too late, even though he doesn’t leave for a little while, there’s half an hour between his flat and Liam’s, but that's in a car. His lungs are screaming but he doesn’t care, he gets to the end of Liam’s street and sees the love of his life putting his suitcase into the boot of his Uber. He calls out his name but it’s drowned out by the pouring rain. He keeps running, he keeps shouting his name until finally, as Liam is opening the car door to the passenger side, he turns his head. Zayn feels relief rush over him, “Zayn?” He jumps into Liam’s arms and just wraps himself around Liam and holds on for dear life. 

“Liam!”

-x-

Liam had taken his suitcase out of the car and let the driver drive away after he told him to give someone a free ride considering it was already paid for. He takes Zayn’s hand into his and leads him back into the lobby and they make their way to the lift, so they can go upstairs to dry off. Liam has a lot to sort out, but that can wait, right now, he’s more interested in what’s happening with his life right now. When they come to his front door, he reaches into his bag and pulls out his key, thanking the Lord that he had kept it instead of leaving it behind. He opens the door and lets Zayn in first, before entering himself and closing the door. “Take your clothes off, I’ll get you a towel, and then find you something to wear,” Liam tells him as he goes to the airing cupboard to grab two towels. He comes back and Zayn is still dressed, Liam rolls his eyes, but smiles. He hands Zayn the towel and opens his case, and pulls out two pairs of jogging bottoms and two hoodies, underwear and socks. “Here, take them to any room with a door and get dry, you’ll catch ya death.” Zayn just takes them and smiles before wandering off towards Liam’s bedroom. 

Liam shakes his head and undresses right there, quickly running a towel over himself before pulling the underwear on, his jogging bottom, hoodie, and then socks. He picks up his sopping clothes and heads towards the kitchen to throw them in the washing machine. He puts the kettle on while waiting for Zayn. It finishes boiling when Zayn finally appears with Liam’s clothing hanging off his small frame, he looks so beautiful, Liam’s forgets to breathe. “Thank you.”

Liam just smiles, “you’re welcome, gimme your clothes, I’ll wash them.” Zayn hands him his own clothes and puts them in before adding the washing powder and comforter. He turns it on and then looks back up at Zayn, “do you want something to drink?” Zayn nods his head, “why have you gone quiet on me?” Liam questions. Zayn just walks closer, into Liam’s personal space and wraps his arms around Liam, laying his head against Liam’s chest. Liam wraps his own arms around Zayn, and kisses the top of Zayn’s head. “You made the right choice, didn’t you Zayn?”

Zayn looks up at him and smiles, “when it comes to you? Always.”

“What happened?” Liam asks, pulling away so he could make their tea. 

“It wasn’t want I wanted, the one thing I wanted was about to leave.”

“If you didn’t want it, why did you say yes to his proposal?” Liam asks, pulling the milk out of the fridge. 

“I felt trapped, I thought it was the right thing to do, since we had been together for so long, and he proposed to me on my birthday, what was I supposed to say?” Zayn whines as he walks towards the kitchen table. “I loved him, but when I saw you that day, and we spent so much time together, even when Ash was in town, you were always there, he spent so much time on tour, so, over the years, I just fell out of love with him, it happens. But ever since we were little, I knew you were different Liam.”

Liam walks over to him and places the tea down, and sits next to him at the kitchen table, “do you still have that ring I gave you?” Liam asks, fingers coming up to brush his thumb over Zayn’s bottom lip, he couldn’t help himself, he wants to kiss them again; he wants to kiss them forever. 

Zayn nods his head, and reaches below the hoodie he’s wearing and pulls out the plastic Batman ring he gave to Zayn all those years ago. “It’s a piece of my heart.” Zayn tells him. “Like you, I only took it off to bathe or if I went surfing, which I am shit at, or I actually went swimming at the beach. But, it was always with me, always.”

Liam blushes, “same, I nearly lost-” Zayn cuts him off with a sweet kiss to his lips, taking his breath away. 

“Harry told me, I think it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

Liam snorts, “nope, it isn’t, but I seriously can’t imagine my life without it, I only gave it back to you because I thought it was romantic or something, I have no idea,” and he touches it through the material of his hoodie. 

“I love you,” Zayn tells him. 

Liam will never get sick of hearing those three words, “I love you too, Zayn.”

-x-

**November 10th, 2018. Age 25.**

It’s been just over a year since Liam’s dreams came true; Zayn was finally his. And it has been the most amazing year of Liam’s life, and now, the 10th of November no longer makes him want to take a long walk off a cliff. After that night, Liam had made the arrangements he needed to do, like ship all of his belongings back to the UK from Dublin, he managed, somehow, to get his job back at London General, and begged Louis, Harry, and Niall to let him stay in their flat for the time being before he and Zayn found a place of their own. Everything has fallen into place, and after that night, it was so much easier to breathe, because he finally had Zayn, where he belonged. 

Six months after he nearly ruined his life by walking out of it, he made a promise to himself, and that promise included to make the 10th of November a different memory, and it involved getting down on one knee. So, after he had settled back into his routine, which included working, taking Zayn on dates, and seeing his family, and sucking up to the guys who were still salty about him trying to leave, he went ring shopping, with the only person who would keep a secret as big as this one, and someone whom had already popped the question that alters a life; Harry. 

“Got any ideas on what ya looking for mate?” Harry asked as he peered down at the array of engagement rings in front of him.

No, Liam had no clue what he was looking for, but he knew he would find the right one, he knew it would jump out at him, or he'd find the perfect canvas and tailor it to the perfect engagement ring. “No, but I’m not worried,” he replied, looking at another section of rings. 

He feels Harry sidle up to him, “how are you so calm?”

Liam just laughs, “I don’t know,” he looks up at Harry and raises an eyebrow, “should I not be calm?” 

Harry scoffs, “when I was looking for a ring for Lou, I was sweating bullets from this point, up until he said yes; I was a mess.” 

“Did you have doubts?” Liam asks nonchalantly as he skims over the rings beneath the immaculate glass. 

Harry shakes his head adamantly, “no, I knew he was going to say yes, but there was always a possibility that he would of actually said no; but I’m not saying Zayn will say no, he loves you.”

Liam shakes his head fondly, “even if he does say no Haz, it’s not gonna stop me from asking over and over again until he says yes, he’s the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I’ve lost him once, almost lost him a second time, I’m not going to let it happen again.”

It takes him the whole day, but by the end of it, he finds the most amazing engagement ring that he has ever seen, and even if Zayn tells him no, he’s going to wear it himself. He goes home, completely exhausted, but when he does finally enter his bedroom, it's to find Zayn, already sleeping on his belly, with his arms under the pillow and features soft. He's wearing one of Liam's t-shirts as well. Liam smiles and softly closes his door. He removes the ring from his pocket and places it in his sock draw - knowing Zayn will never go snooping - before finally stripping off his clothes, switching off the lamp, and climbing into bed. He leans over and presses a soft kiss to Zayn's forehead, making him stir a little, but he doesn't wake. There was a time in his life where he thought he'd never get to experience having Zayn in his bed, maybe as a friend yes, but as his boyfriend, as the man he's going to marry? Never. He settles down into the mattress, and he smiles as Zayn shuffles in his sleep so his head is now resting on Liam's chest. It's perfect. 

Over the next week, the ring burns a hole through his coat pocket, as he carries it around just in case the perfect moment shows itself. It never does, until, him and Liam take a walk around their old neighbourhood. It’s the exact same day he left all those years ago, the day where a hole started to form in his heart that hadn’t even come close to healing until that day in Tesco’s. 

But, the heavens open as soon as they walk on to Zayn’s old street. They both laugh as they start dancing, hands clasped to a streetlamp, and spinning around, singing ‘Singing in the Rain’ and kicking puddles at each other. But Zayn stops when he comes to stand outside of his childhood home, nothing has changed apart from the family inside, making their own happy memories. Liam comes up behind him and wraps his arms around him, tucking his face into Zayn’s neck and placing his lips on the soft skin that smells like vanilla and David Beckham’s cologne, kissing him gently just below his ear. “I’ll never forget that day,” Zayn mumbles, “I’ll never forget my heart being ripped out of my chest as I left you, in the rain.”

“It wasn’t your fault Zayn, it’s not like you could of stayed, you were seven.”

“I resented my parents for ages, and even though I learned to love Australia, a day didn’t go by when I didn’t think about you, we should have stayed in contact.”

Liam laughs, “believe it or not, I was prepared for what happened, us stopping talking to each other, but I never stopped thinking about you; I always spoke about you too, Louis, Harry, and Niall didn’t even know what you looked like until they met you for the first time.” Liam had asked him why he was never on Facebook, and Zayn had admitted that he couldn’t deal with seeing him in pictures and not in the flesh, it broke Liam’s heart a little, but also made him love Zayn more, considering that’s how he felt, even though it was through pictures his sisters posted. “After I told the lads that I had ran into you, Louis had said it was fate, now, I don’t believe,” Zayn makes a wounded noise, and Liam just giggles, “let me try that again, I didn’t believe in fate at the time, but Louis and Harry did, they’re living proof of the word soulmate, Louis told me, in so many words, to have a little faith; he told me that we belonged together, and surprise, he was right.”

Zayn turns around in Liam’s arms and smiles up at him, snaking his arms around Liam’s neck and playing with the wet hair at the nape of his neck. “We do belong together, but I just wish this day wasn’t so painful.”

Oh, this is it, this is the perfect moment Liam has been waiting for. Liam leans down slightly and kisses Zayn, their lips wet with the rain that’s still pelting down, but he thinks it’s perfect. He pulls away from Zayn and leans his forehead against his, “I didn’t know it when I was seven, but over the years I finally understood. I was in love with you then, I was in love with while you were gone, and I’m in love with you now. My heart belongs to you, forever and always, so, as I do this,” he reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out the matte black box, and gets down on one knee. Liam watches Zayn’s eyes widen and his bottom lip is sucked into his mouth; Liam really concentrates on trying to breathe, “as I do this, I hope you can replace the memory of us being sad, heart broken seven year olds who had lost the other half of their heart, and remember the tenth of November, as being the day, I got down on one knee, and asked you to marry me.” Liam opens the box and there sits the perfect ring, it’s a silver band, with the Batman symbol engraved into it, with a single diamond in the middle, and engraved on the inside are the words, “my heart, my forever” Liam is looking at Zayn, and he can see Zayn’s hazel eyes are bright, and there’s a small smile tugging at his lips. “Will you marry me Zayn?”

Zayn gives Liam his left hand and Liam lets out the breath he didn’t know he was holding as he slips the ring on Zayn’s finger, “yes, yes I’ll marry you. I love you.”

Liam stands up, “I love you too.” And he wraps his arms around Zayn, and hugs him, spinning him around as he giggles before connecting their lips together, kissing each other, in the rain, with so much love, it doesn’t seem possible. They’re no longer those two boys who lost each other on the 10th of November in the rain, now they're two men, who just got engaged on the 10th of November, in the rain. They’re happy, they’re in love, and are about to embark on their new adventure together, ready to face the world as their love guides them, keeping them strong, no matter what comes their way. They’re indestructible. They’re forever.

-x-

FIN.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading lovelies. Any mistakes are my own, I have edited this a hundred times.


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